World Trade Center
by AndreeaRaducan
Summary: AU. September 11th, 2001. Leaving for work on a bright and sunny Tuesday morning, Jennifer Jareau could not have been any less prepared for the day's events to come. "Tragedy should be utilized as a source of strength. No matter what sort of difficulties, how painful experience is, if we lose our hope, that's our real disaster." - Dalai Lama XIV
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: So, new story. _

_Now, I make myself quite clear. This story is in no way meant to disrespect the victims and the survivors of 9/11, or anyone affected by it. It's just, I've been watching a lot of 9/11 documentaries and movies lately, so it's on my mind a lot. This story is a way for me to explore the fear and desperation felt by those who were fighting for survival under the rubble._

_So please don't have a go at me for being 'insensitive' or whatever, that's NOT what I'm trying to do. If this story really bothers you, just don't read it. What I'm trying to portray here is how new hope and new life can grow out of even the darkest of tragedies._

_I was going to write a 9/11 10 year dedication story. You could perceive this as that...just two years late._

_Disclaimer: I don't own CM._

**_Premise: JJ applied for the FBI Academy right out of college, but got cold feet and dropped out. In the hopes of still pursuing something in communications, a bright eyed and bushy tailed young JJ moved from small town Pennsylvania to New York City. And there, in 1999, at the age of 21, she landed a job at AT&T Corporations, one of the biggest telecommunications companies in the country. Within months, she worked her way up from the bottom, and got moved from a small office block near her neighborhood to one of the most famous buildings in the world._**

**_World Trade Center 1._**

* * *

The irritating buzz of her alarm clock pulled Jennifer Jareau from her dreams in the early hours of the morning. It was just past 6:30 and the sun was beginning to peak above the horizon.

Hitting the 'Stop' button on her clock, JJ buried her face in her pillow for a minute, wishing she didn't have to get up. She knew she had a long day ahead of her, dealing with the mountains of crap that AT&T Corporation seemed to accumulate on a daily basis. Not to mention the amount of ass kissing she was going to have to do to try and sell AT&T's services. Some days, she truly hated her job. She was seriously considering reapplying to the FBI Academy. She had applied straight out of college, but got cold feet and withdrew to pursue something else.

Groaning, she rolled over, pulling herself out of bed. As she passed her nightstand, she switched the clock over to the news radio. Running a hand through her hair, she trudged into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Once the bathroom had steamed up, she stripped off her sleep shorts and T-shirt before stepping into the shower stall.

As soon as the hot water was cascading against her skin, she started to feel somewhat human again. The heat of the morning shower easily washed away the warm icky feeling she seemed to wake up with every morning.

"Good morning New York, it's a bright sunny Tuesday morning as the eleventh of September dawns, and as always, there is plenty to report!" came the voice of the news reader, floating through the bathroom door.

Turning the shower off, JJ grabbed a towel, wrapping it around herself and stepping onto her bathmat. Staring incredulously at her clock, she shook her head.

"You are way too happy for half past six," she said dryly, moving out of the bathroom and into the closet to choose her outfit for the day.

* * *

With her clothes selected – a bright blue button up shirt, black slacks, and her favourite skinny black boots – hair done, and makeup just lightly accenting her stunning blue eyes, JJ was ready for a gruelling day in the office. And it was only 7am.

Putting her bag on her shoulder and her jacket over her arm, she locked up and made her way down the street to the local coffee joint. As always, Stefano, an old Italian coffee brewer who had emigrated to New York in the early 60's, was waiting behind the counter with a smile on his face.

"JayJay," he said happily, his accent still lingering in his words. "So nice to see you again"

JJ laughed. "You see me every day Stefano"

"You have a coffee problem," Stefano said, waving a bony finger at his favourite customer. "The usual?"

"The usual," JJ repeated, pulling her Nokia out of her jacket pocket to see if she'd received any messages from her boss. None.

A few minutes later, Stefano handed her a tall coffee cup. "One extra chocolate mocha for my favourite lady"

JJ smiled, handing Stefano some bills. "Keep the change"

"See you tomorrow JayJay"

JJ waved as she left the shop, taking a sip of the chocolate caffeine goodness as she headed towards her subway stop.

She didn't mind riding the subway every day. It was 50 minutes in which she could just zone out completely and get lost in her own little world.

Except for the occasions when a homeless person would find their way onto the train and hassle everyone in sight until they got off. Those were the days she could do without.

Once she was on the train, no later than 7:30, and situated in the back corner of her carriage, JJ leant against the window. Everything else got filtered out, and the only thing on her mind was to listen out for her stop.

World Trade Center.

* * *

The one thing JJ hated in the mornings was fighting her way through throngs of people just to get to the lobby entrance of the North Tower.

Every morning, as she approached the Twin Towers from her subway stop, she would look up and admire the incredible height of the skyscrapers as they stood gleaming in the morning sun.

It was a sight she would never tire of.

Managing to get through the aimlessly wandering crowds of people, she reached the lobby, showing her employee ID card to the man standing by the elevator.

Once she was in the elevator, the hustle and bustle of the street was gone, and it was only complete silence she could hear on the ride to the 51st floor.

"They're saying it's going to be a busy day today...what with the end of the fiscal year coming up and all," Eddie, the lift operator, said conversationally.

JJ shrugged. "Yeah, well, I hope your day goes better than mine's going to go"

Eddie chuckled. "Jennifer, you are too negative. Look at it as the glass half full"

JJ smirked. "My desk is half full of papers that need sorting by lunchtime"

Eddie laughed. "I'll guess I'll take what I can get"

The rest of the ride was spent in comfortable silence. With a ding, they arrived at JJ's floor. JJ and Eddie bid their goodbyes as JJ headed out onto the floor containing all the AT&T employees.

Looking at her watch, she smiled to herself. Almost 8:40. She was 10 minutes earlier than she usually was. At least the day was off to an ok start.

"JJ, you're early!" came the voice of her boss, Robert Hunter.

"My train was actually on time this morning," JJ replied, turning to face Robert.

"Well, that's a good thing. I know you've got a lot to do today, but I wanted to ask you if you'd like to join me in my meeting this morning?"

JJ looked surprised. "Uh...sure"

Robert broke into a wide grin. "Great. 9:30 in Conference B. You don't need anything except for last month's professional service report"

JJ nodded. "I'll be there"

Moving to her desk as Robert turned and walked away, JJ sat her bag and her jacket on her chair, keeping her coffee in hand as she leant against the partition in front of her desk.

"Morning JJ," Rosie said warmly, looking up from her computer.

"Hi Rosie," JJ said with a smile. "How was your evening?"

"Less exciting than yours I would bet"

JJ scoffed. "No. I went home, watched a season of 'Friends', ate ice-cream, and went to bed"

Rosie pouted. "No guys in the sack last night?"

JJ let out a shocked gasp, playfully hitting Rosie's shoulder. "Rosie!"

Rosie laughed. "I have to live vicariously through you, girl! I'm just saying, someone looks a little perky this morning compared to usual"

JJ grinned, pointing at her coffee cup. "That would be the extra shot of caffeine Stefano put in my coffee this morning"

Rosie nodded knowingly. "Who needs a man when you have Stefano?"

JJ laughed as she turned to walk away. "Right on the money," she called over her shoulder, hearing Rosie's laughter in reply.

Without any warning, a muffled 'boom' was heard from above, causing the entire floor to fall silent and stare at the ceiling. The building shook dramatically, sending dust flying down through the air vents.

Looking out of the window near her desk, JJ was baffled by what she saw. Thousands of pieces of paper, bits of unknown debris, and a lot of dust were raining down onto the street below.

"What in the world?" Rosie mumbled, coming to stand beside JJ, flicking her long black hair over her shoulder.

JJ looked at Rosie, shrugging. "Maybe the guys up at Port Authority decided a giant confetti cannon would be a good idea"

Rosie chuckled, looking out at the papers falling from the sky. "Your sense of humour, JJ, my word"

"You're never going to believe this, get over here!" yelled a voice from somewhere on the other side of the floor.

Slowly, with a light murmur of worried conversation, everyone on JJ's side of the floor headed to where the person was yelling from.

Within a minute, most people were standing around the central work area.

"They're saying a plane hit the top of the tower!" someone exclaimed nervously.

"They're not saying it! It's what happened! Look!" someone else yelled, pointing up at the TV.

JJ looked up at the screen and felt her heart stop.

Sure enough, on the news channel, was an aerial image of the Twin Towers.

And the North Tower was quite clearly, shrouded in smoke, with a gaping hole staring right at the camera.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Here's chapter 2! I appreciate all of your reviews!_

_Glad you like the storyline!_

_Now, this chapter may seem a little rushed, but honestly, did you want me to describe, in detail, the descending of 50 flights of stairs? I just highlighted the major events as they would have been heard/seen in the North Tower._

_Disclaimer: I don't own CM._

* * *

"Everyone listen up!" yelled a man who had been standing below the TV. He was a senior at the company, and had been working at the Trade Center for nearly 10 years.

"We need to evacuate! Grab your phones! If you're wearing heels, take them off! The elevator is out of service, so we'll have to take the stairs! Let's go!"

Grabbing her phone from the pocket of her jacket, JJ silently thanked whatever being had influenced her not to wear heels on that particular day.

Following just behind Rosie, she left the office floor, heading towards the elevator shaft. Next to the elevator were three flights of stairs.

Already, there were people pouring down the stairs from the upper floors. Some were covered in dust and dirt. Some were bleeding. Others looked unharmed, just shaken up.

"How bad do you think it is?" JJ asked softly, leaning over Rosie's shoulder as they entered the slowly moving throng of people rushing down the stairs.

"I don't know. All I know is I have _never_ felt this building shake like that. Not even in high winds," Rosie replied gently. With a soft smile, she took JJ's hand, hoping they could offer a sense of reassurance to each other.

"It's going to take forever to get out. There's two flights of stairs between each floor, and with this many people-"

"We'll get out, JJ. I'm sure it's just a precaution anyway. The top floors are where the danger is," Rosie said reassuringly as they reached Floor 50.

"I sure hope so," JJ sighed, looking down at her watch. 15 minutes had passed since the supposed plane crash.

As they descended through the next flight of stairs, another loud boom was heard. It was louder than the first, suggesting it was closer. Screams rang out from above them, followed by the clatter of debris and another loud explosion.

"What was that?" JJ asked anxiously. She'd been calm at first, when the plane first hit the tower, but now...panic was starting to set in.

"It's ok. It's probably something upstairs. Don't worry," Rosie said softly. "Don't worry"

* * *

After the second explosion of noise, the descent through each floor had been relatively uneventful. JJ had stayed calm after the first wave of panic, managing to keep a light conversation going with Rosie. Some people were staying calm, simply moving quickly and efficiently through each flight of stairs. Others were in panicked states, especially those who had come down injured from the upper floors.

It had been almost an hour and they had only reached Floor 26. People were tiring out, but were eager to get out of the tower and find out what on earth was going on. Some people with contacts outside the tower had informed everyone that the South Tower had also been struck by a plane; that was the second explosion.

JJ had been glancing at her watch every few floors, and was amazed at the amount of time it was taking to descend the tower. In the entire time she'd been at the World Trade Center, she'd always taken the elevator. Never had she been put in a situation where she needed to use the stairs.

It was approaching 10am. JJ, while devastated that a plane had crashed into the tower, was relieved that at least for one day, she didn't have to face the mountain of paperwork. As they kept going, there were muttered conversations about terrorism. JJ worked hard to block those out. She just wanted to get out, go home, and call her family.

Still following slightly behind Rosie, JJ opened her mouth to speak to her friend when a low rumbling began to fill their ears.

Everyone in the stairwell stopped, looking up expectantly. The rumbling got louder and louder. Debris could be seen raining down through the windows.

And then out of nowhere, the top of the South Tower went sailing past the window, crushing the rest of it into the ground.

"Oh my god," JJ gasped, as did most of the people around her.

"We need to get out! If the South collapsed, ours will too!" someone above them screamed.

"Everyone stay calm! Proceed down to the lobby!"

* * *

Hearts beating fast, the descent down the remaining floors had continued, but in a slightly more rushed state. They had passed countless fire fighters who were trying to get up to the impact floors to see if there were any survivors they could help.

JJ was in a daze. Someone had attacked the World Trade Center. An icon on New York, a symbol for America. The city she'd come to know and love was under attack.

It was as she and Rosie reached the level above the lobby that she heard it.

The unmistakeable rumble coming from above them.

"Oh god," Rosie gasped, grabbing JJ's hand and pulling her down through the last flight of stairs.

"We have to get out!" JJ yelled as the rumbling grew louder. Dust and debris was raining down through the air vents, lights were flickering, glass was smashing. The tower itself was shaking violently.

As they reached the ground floor, they joined the throng of people running, screaming, fighting to get out of the North Tower before it hit the ground.

Somewhere in the chaos, JJ lost Rosie's hand. She was starting to panic as she ran. It was getting darker as dust rained down on the streets of New York. The concrete pillars in the lobby were starting to collapse.

In a split second, JJ realised she wasn't going to make it to the exit.

Changing course, she ran towards a fire escape door. Barrelling through it, she saw the elevator shaft.

"_The freight elevator shaft is the strongest component of the North Tower"_

Diving into it as the remains of the Tower rained down on top of her, JJ covered her head with her arms, squeezed her eyes shut, and screamed in fear.


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: This chapter is a little shorter, but I struggled to make it any longer. Hope you enjoy._

_Disclaimer: I don't own CM._

* * *

_The screams of people in the stairwell, the thunder of feet running down the concourse, the terrifying roar as the tower sailed towards the ground. The rattle of dust and debris coming down the air ventilation system, the shatter of the glass shop front windows._

_All those people that were still trapped further up the tower. Nothing could save them now. They were gone._

JJ's eyes snapped open to find that she was engulfed in darkness. There was a small patch of light above her. At a rough guess, she'd say it was about twenty feet up. She knew the fallen remains of the World Trade Center were littered everywhere, but all she could see was a few beams, steel struts, bits of concrete, and the small patch of light.

Choking on the dust in her throat, she coughed violently as she tried to get her bearings relative to what was around her. There was dust swirling everywhere, which made it difficult to keep her eyes open.

Unlike the chaos when the tower collapsed, it was now totally silent. No-one was screaming, nothing was crashing down. It was eerily silent. Like the ruins of a ghost town.

As she became more aware of her own body, she realised just how small the space she was in actually was. There were two big pieces of concrete beneath her, with a gap, of roughly eight inches from what she could tell, between them. The gap was below her hips, meaning her upper body and her legs were still supported.

To her left was some kind of concrete and steel framework. Her shoulder was pressed right up against it, but her arm was mostly free to move.

Above her was a variety of beams, chunks of concrete, and structural components. The only reason she hadn't been crushed was the framework to her left.

Although it wasn't pinned beneath anything, her right arm was stuck below the fallen beams. There was not enough room above her chest to be able to move her arm around.

After a few minutes, JJ had ascertained that she was stuck in a very tight space. Aside from a few bruises and scrapes that she could feel, maybe a cut on her head, and chest pain that she could only link to rib fractures, she was largely unhurt. Which she was totally stunned by, considering one of the towers had basically collapsed on top of her.

"Oh god," she choked out as the realisation of the situation she was in hit her. It was hard to comprehend. She was trapped underneath the remains of the freaking _World Trade Center_!

Looking up above her, she mustered up as much voice as she could. There had to be someone up there. There just had to be.

"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!" she yelled, unable to get her voice as loud as she normally would due to the dust that was clinging to her throat.

Coughing as her throat burned from yelling, she tried hard to draw in one deep breath. Managing to stop the coughing fit for the time being, she closed her eyes for a moment.

This couldn't have been an accident. As much as she had tried to block out the conversations about terrorism during the evacuation, she knew it was the only thing that made sense. Two passenger planes, flown into the two most iconic towers in New York, in broad daylight?

When she opened her eyes again, she was unable to stop the hot tears that flooded from those blue pools.

Bringing her left arm up to her face, she tried to wipe most of the tears away. '_It's just from the dust_,' she told herself repeatedly as she wiped her face. '_Get it together_'

But as the tears kept coming, she was forced to accept that it wasn't the dust. She was crying.

She knew it was shock. The shock of the day's events, the physical shock of being hit by falling rubble as the tower fell. She also knew that as the shock wore off, the pain would start to set in. The thought of the pain didn't worry her. Any reminder that she was actually alive she would gladly take.

"HELP ME! SOMEBODY, PLEASE! HELP ME!" she screamed again, hoping to God that someone would hear her.

Her father had died of cancer when she was 16. Her sister, Rosaline, had committed suicide when JJ was at the tender age of 11. Her brother, Joshua, had moved to California to escape the small town and the bad relationships he had with his family.

JJ was all her mother had left.

Someone had to hear her, because she couldn't leave her mother alone in this world.


End file.
